What if Exile on Main Street
by Katy M VT
Summary: What if Sam and Dean met up on a case.  AU in that Sam has a soul, but spoilers for the rest of Season 6.  Sequel to Hell House.  Chapter 7 of 7 up.
1. The Legend Changed

What if Sam and Dean had met on a different case?

Sam didn't know how he had gotten out of Hell, but he had. He just also wished he couldn't remember Hell at all. He had only been down there one month. Of course that was equal to ten years Hell time. Only one-quarter of what Dean had to go through. He should feel lucky.

He was standing outside Lisa's house, watching Dean have dinner with his new family like he didn't have a care in the world. Part of him was glad that Dean had kept his promise to go live a normal life. Part of him was hurt that he didn't seem to miss him.

He considered walking up to the doorbell and ringing it. But, he really did want Dean to be happy. If he announced his presence, Dean might run off with him, and that would be bad for Dean. On the other hand, he might not, and Sam didn't want to know that.

So, he turned around and walked the other way. He had hunted on his own before, he could do it again.

SSS

1 year later

Sam was surfing the net for his next gig. He was trying to stay clear of other hunters. He hadn't let anyone know he was alive. He didn't want it getting back to Dean. He was lonely. But, besides Dean, there wasn't really anybody else he cared about anyway. His father was dead. Ellen and Jo had died on the Lucifer hunt. And Bobby…

Sam couldn't bear to think about Bobby. If only he had managed to gain control of Lucifer a little sooner. He could have saved Bobby and Cas.

No. He wasn't going to think about it.

He shook his head and concentrated on looking for a hunt. He found something. Looked like that Tolpa was back. He had a feeling burning the house down wouldn't do the trick. He had no idea how to get rid of it now, but he had to try.

SSS

"What happened at school today, Ben?" Dean asked as the family sat around the dinner table.

"There was a new kid," Ben answered.

"Well, be nice. It's hard being the new kid," Dean answered, almost choking up as he remembered how hard every move had been on Sammy.

Lisa noticed Dean's reaction. He also knew he never wanted to lose it in front of Ben. She had told him that it would be OK, but Dean begged her to just let his grief be between him and her. He didn't even share it with her very often.

"Where's he from?" Lisa asked to keep the conversation going.

"Temple, Texas. He said he moved here because his mom got killed by some axe-wielding maniac in the woods."

Dean started. It couldn't be that tolpa. It was probably just a maniac like Ben said.

"Are you OK?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah," Dean answered. "I'm good." It's what he always said.

SSS

After Lisa and Ben had gone to bed, Dean had done a little research. He decided to start with that stupid Ghostfacers website and sure enough, they had added a section, "History of the Ghostfacers," and put that case as their first. They had the sidgil on the page, too. This wasn't good. Dean read the legend. That they had changed.

SSS

"Lisa, I've got to go out of town for a few days," Dean said.

"What? Where? Why?" Lisa asked in a torrent.

"A few years ago, my brother and I were hunting something. It turned out to be a thought form that took on the characteristics of the legend people believed about it. The legend said it was doomed to haunt this one house forever, so I burnt it down. Sammy wasn't too sure about that solution, so I promised if the legend changed, we'd go back. The legend changed."

"But, that's not your job anymore," Lisa reminded him.

"People are dying because I didn't take care of this right the first time. I promised Sammy." Since he had died, Dean only referred to him as my brother or Sammy, never just Sam.

"Dean, it's not your job to save the world," Lisa protested.

_No, I let Sammy die for that._ "I'm going, Lise."

SSS

Sam had read the new legend. Mordecai Murdoch was a lumberjack who had died when a tree fell on him. One of his lumberjack buddies had helped the tree along because he was having an affair with his wife. Now, Mordecai went around killing anyone he found in his forest. There was no way, he was burning down a forest. That could kill more people than it saved.

He headed into the woods to find Mordecai. Luckily the legend had mentioned a possible way of getting rid of the sucker. It said if a tree fell on him, he would disappear forever. So, all he had to do was chop down a tree and get Mordecai to stand under it and not attack him. No problem.

Sam had his axe in his hand. He was here in the forest, but he had no idea how he was going to do this. He was trying to come up with some kind of plan when he heard a noise behind him. He spun around to see Mordecai. The legend may have changed, but he looked exactly the same. Sam swung at him with his axe. It actually went right through him.

Mordecai grabbed the axe out of Sam's hands and flung it away. He then shoved Sam into the tree and held him there with an axe.

Just like before, Sam thought. Only this time Dean wasn't here to call for help.

"I remember you," Mordecai hissed.

OK, this was different. He didn't remember him ever speaking before.

"You were one of the ones who burnt down my house. For the longest time, I was just suspended in time. Do you know what that feels like?"

Apparently it was a rhetorical question, because without skipping a beat, Mordecai increased the pressure on Sam's neck.

SSS

Dean walked out of some bushes and saw who he assumed was Mordecai hovering over his latest victim. The last time they had tangled with this fugly, they hadn't had Bobby. This time, before Dean had left, he had called the old coot and Bobby had told him that if you want to get rid of a tolpa, all you have to do is hit it with an amulet of a reverse Sidgil of Sultan. Bobby had also told him where to find such an object. He had picked it up on the way here and now he flung it for all he was worth. He was gratified, to see the thing disappear.

He looked around to make sure Mordecai was good and truly gone. Last time they kept thinking he was gone and he kept reappearing. But, it looked like Bobby was right. He was gone. Dean went to check on the victim. He noticed that he was big. He rolled him over and gasped.


	2. Verification and Questions

"Sammy?" he asked. He didn't get an answer, though. He checked for a pulse and found one.

He couldn't believe it. Sam was in Hell. And if he had gotten out, why would he have gone on some random hunt instead of finding Dean. Dean got out the salt, silver, and holy water. Nothing got a reaction from the unconscious creature in front of him. He wouldn't allow himself to believe it was his brother yet. He couldn't take the disappointment if it wasn't.

He knew that none of those tests would work on Lucifer. That was also the thing most likely in front of him. How could he tell if it was Lucifer? The only way he could think of was to have help from another supernatural being.

"Cas!" he yelled. "Cas! Cas! Cas!"

"What is it Dean. I'm busy," Castiel said from behind him. He had been in Heaven fighting a war and the last thing he needed was to come down here. On the other hand, Dean had sacrificed his brother to save the world and rid it of Lucifer. It wasn't like he called him every five minutes. This was the first he had heard from him.

"Is that Lucifer or Sammy?" he asked, pointing at the still form.

"That's Sam. How did he get out of the cage?" Castiel asked.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked.

"Yes, Dean. If that was Lucifer, I would be able to see his true form under Sam. Same with anything really. That is definitely your brother."

Just then, Sam began to stir.

"I really have to go now," Castiel said. That was true, but he also felt awkward around Sam. He had had Lucifer inside of him. He had always been an abomination, but now it was just so much more. He disappeared.

Dean rolled his eyes and shook his head. At least he told him he was leaving this time. He thought that might have been a first.

"Sammy?" he asked.

"Dean? What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"What am _I_ doing here?" Dean asked, incredulous.

Sam was finally sitting all the way up and Dean grabbed him into a hug. Sam returned it with all he was worth.

"How did you get out?" Dean asked.

"No idea," Sam said. "One minute I was..," he didn't finish the thought, but shuddered. "The next I was back in that cemetery."

"How long have you been out?"

"Almost a year. I was only down there a month," Sam admitted.

"Month our time or Hell time?" Dean clarified.

"Our time."

Dean nodded. Ten years. That was a long time to be in Hell.

"What have you been doing all this time?" Dean demanded.

"Hunting," Sam shrugged.

"By yourself?" Dean could kill him. That was so dangerous. As evidenced by what had just happened. If he hadn't shown up when he did, he wouldn't have gotten this reunion.

"I didn't want to intrude on your happiness," Sam replied, lamely.

"Well, who else knows your back? Does Bobby know?" Dean was going to kill him, too, if he had kept this from him.

"Bobby? Bobby's dead. I remember I, Lucifer, snapped his neck."

"Cas brought him back."

"Cas is alive?" Sam had thought he had seen him just now, as he was waking up, but figured he was seeing things or hallucinating or something.

"Yeah. More or less. You know Cas. He's up in Heaven, though. I just called him down to verify that you were you. He did and then he split again," Dean explained.

"We should probably not be staying here right now. That tolpa could come back any minute," Sam said looking around. He didn't really feel like a second round right this instant.

"Oh, he's gone. I took care of it," Dean bragged.

"How? You had to make a tree fall on him."

"Or throw an reverse Sidgil of Sultan amulet at him, which is what I did. You always did have to do things the hard way, Sammy," Dean teased. And it felt good.

"How did you figure that one out?" Sam asked. He had never heard of such a thing.

"Bobby," Dean admitted.

"So, he's really OK?" Sam asked. He had been beating himself up about killing him. The news that he was alive was almost more than he could bear.

"Yeah."

"Did Crowley give his soul back?"

"I don't know," Dean admitted.

"So, what were you doing here?" Sam asked. "I thought you had given up hunting."

"I promised you if the legend changed we would come back. When I found out it had, I knew I had to make it right."

Sam nodded. This was his big brother.

SSS

Dean had helped Sam to a hotel room. "You'll probably be wanting to get back to Lisa and Ben," Sam said.

"Yeah. But first, I want to figure out how you got out. You really have no idea?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head.

"And that doesn't seem weird to you?" Dean asked.

"Honestly, I don't really care," Sam said.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Look, Hell's not fun. You know that. I got a get out of jail free card and I'm not going to spit all over it. The truth is, I'm scared to go poking at it in case I get thrown back in."

"But, Sam, something bad could be going on," Dean protested.

"When you got out of Hell, did I get all mad, demanding how it could have happened?" Sam yelled. It felt like Dean was mad that he was out.

"That's not what I meant, Sam. Of course I'm glad you're out. I spent months trying to find a way to get you out myself. Of course, most of that, I guess you were already out."

"You promised to leave it alone, Dean," Sam reminded him.

"Of course I wasn't going to leave it alone. So, now you know I'm not mad you're out. I'm just worried you'll have to pay."

"Well, when you got out, Bobby said the only thing that could pull someone out of Hell were angels. So, maybe angels did it," Sam reasoned.

"If that were the case, I don't think Cas would have been so surprised to see you when I called him down," Dean countered.

"Oh, well. Guess we're back to square one, then," Sam said. He wasn't lying. He really didn't care. Whatever did it, he was grateful.

"Do you remember it?" Dean asked.

"What?"

"The cage."

Sam nodded.

"And?"

"And what?" Sam asked. He couldn't believe Dean wanted him to talk about it.

"If anybody could relate," Dean pointed out.

"This is the first time I've been in a hotel room since I've been back," Sam said, apparently changing the subject.

"Where have you been sleeping?" Dean asked. "I noticed that fancy car outside the forest. That yours? You been sleeping in that?"

"It's mine, but I haven't been sleeping in it. I sleep outside. I don't like to be confined. The cage is small, Dean. It's about the size of the bathroom in here. And there were four of us squeezed into it."

"What about Adam?" Dean asked, feeling guilty it had taken him this long to ask about their other brother. Honestly, he hardly ever gave him a thought.

"Still down there as far as I know," was all Sam felt like saying about that.

Dean could tell that Sam didn't want to talk anymore. He wouldn't push it. "We should get some sleep," he said. He turned out the lights and watched as Sam curled onto his side.


	3. Claustrophobia

When Sam fell asleep he dreamed about Hell. It didn't matter that he'd been out a year, he still had the dreams every time he slept. He always thought he was back there and tonight was no different. He sat up straight in bed and looked around. Michael, Lucifer and Adam weren't here, but Dean was. Then, he remembered. He was out.

He glanced over at Dean and then snuck out the door. He couldn't stay inside anymore. He lay down on the hood of the Impala and watched the stars. He hoped there would be no more sleep for him tonight.

SSS

Dean woke up in the morning. He reached for Lisa, but then remembered he wasn't home. He looked over at the next bed. It was empty. He sprang up as he realized the bathroom door was open and Sam wasn't in it. Sam had left him again. He ran outside to find Sam asleep on the hood of his car. Then Sam jerked up.

"You OK?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head to get his bearings. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said.

"Yeah, right," Dean said.

"Well, I've been waiting for you two boys to get back together," a British man said. He had just popped up next to the Impala, inches away from Sam.

"Who are you?" Dean asked.

"I'm the angel who pulled Sam out of the cage. My name is Balthazzar."

"Thanks," Sam said.

"Don't thank me yet. I'm thinking of throwing you back in."

Sam literally started to tremble at the thought.

"Now, wait a minute," Dean protested. He had had a feeling that this was too good to be true, but he wasn't going to let Sam go back that easy. "Why would you pull him out to throw him back in?"

"Well, it all depends on you, Dean."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"I had a little favor to ask of you. I was actually despairing of you two ever hooking up. I was afraid that if I brought Sam to you, though, you wouldn't believe it was him."

He was actually right about that, Dean had to admit. "So, what do you want?"

"Well, demons aren't the only ones who buy souls. Angels have uses for them, too," Balthazzar said.

"What happens if you sell your soul to an angel? You go to Heaven when you die?" Dean asked. That was most people's goal, so this guy wouldn't have too much trouble in the sales department.

"Not exactly. You don't need to know what happens to the souls," Balthazzar answered, knowing if Dean knew, he would probably never agree.

"So, what do you want from us?" Sam asked.

"You, nothing. Dean, on the other hand, can procure me the soul of a certain 12 year old. Ben Braeden has a very special soul."

"Ben's not selling you his soul," Dean stated, leaving no room for argument.

"Looks like little Sammy is going back into the cage then," Balthazzar said and grabbed Sam's wrist and yanked him off the car.

"Dean, please," Sam begged.

Dean couldn't believe Sam would ask this of him. But, then again, he had a feeling the cage was so much worse than general population Hell and that was bad enough.

"What happens to the souls?" Dean asked again.

"I'm not telling you. Have the boy sign his soul over to me and you can keep your brother top side. I will tell you this much. There's no ten year deal or anything like with demon deal's. Ben will live his natural life out, however long that is, before the soul comes to me."

"Does it go to Hell?" Sam asked. He couldn't let that happen to the kid. He would stop Dean himself.

"No. I promise you, no Hell. Tell you what. I'll come see you in a week. If the boy signs his name on the dotted line, all very well and good. If not," Balthazzar paused as he yanked Sam and threw him to the ground, "I'll throw him down a lot further. Understand?"

Dean nodded. He didn't know what he was going to do. He wasn't going to ask Ben to sell his soul. He had to find something else to save Sam.

Balthazzar thinking that Dean was in agreement smiled and disappeared.

SSS

"Where are we going?" Sam asked.

"Home. We have to go get Lisa and Ben. I don't trust that guy to wait for me to talk Ben into selling his soul," Dean said.

"Are you going to?" Sam asked.

"Sam, I'm sorry. You know I can't," Dean said, looking sideways at Sam.

Sam closed his eyes. "I know." And he didn't want him to. Really, he didn't. But he didn't want to go back to Hell either. Knowing he was going, was only going to make this week all the worse. But he was glad of every minute he wasn't there.

Dean pulled up outside of the house and got out. Sam stayed in the car. "You coming?" Dean asked.

"No, you go ahead. I'll wait here." Sam didn't belong in Dean's new house, his new life, with his new family. He should probably just take off while Dean was inside. That would be easier for everybody. But, he couldn't. He wanted to spend his last week with his brother.

SSS

"Lisa!" Dean shouted when he got in the house.

"Hey, you're back," Lisa said and kissed him.

"Where's Ben?" Dean asked.

"In his room, doing his homework. What's wrong?" Lisa asked. She was seeing a look on Dean's face that she had never seen before.

"Ben's in danger," Dean said softly, so he wouldn't be overheard.

"From what?" Lisa asked, all of the sudden frightened. If Dean was scared of something, it had to be pretty bad. For the last year, she had noticed that nothing seemed to faze him. It made sense with all that he had seen his life, normal trials and tribulations would mean nothing to him. She had the feeling, though, that some of it was just because he became numb inside after his brother had died.

"An angel," Dean whispered.

"Aren't angels good?" Lisa asked. Dean hadn't told her much about his job. Just that salt keeps bad things out.

"Most of them are dicks," Dean said.

"OK, so what does an angel want with Ben?"

"He wants to buy his soul. I actually have no idea why, but I want to get you two some place safe."

"How did you find all this out?" Lisa said as she headed towards the stairs to get Ben. It sounded crazy, but when Dean had first come back into her life, he had saved Ben from something that had sounded even crazier.

"I found Sam. The angel apparently had pulled Sam up out of Hell and was just waiting for us to reconnect so he could threaten me with Sam to get to Ben."

Lisa turned sharply at that. She didn't know who would win in a contest for Dean's loyalty—Sam or Ben. "You're not going to turn Ben over to him are you?"

"Of course not, Lisa. Sam doesn't want me to, either. It's OK. I just want to get you hidden, OK?"

Lisa nodded and ran up the stairs to get Ben.


	4. Nightmare

After getting together some things, the three of them headed out to the car. Sam was sound asleep in the front seat. "You don't mind sitting in back, do you, Lisa?" Dean asked

"Sure," Lisa said, thinking that it was symbolic. Now that Sam was back, she and Ben were going to be taking a back seat to Sam.

When they were all settled into the car, Dean looked over at Sam. He didn't look like he was really getting a good rest. He looked like he was having a nightmare. Dean didn't know if he should wake him up or not. Sam had seemed exhausted the whole time they were together. He clearly wasn't getting enough sleep. He was reminded of the time right after Jessica had died. But, worse.

He decided against waking him up and asked Lisa and Ben to be quiet so Sam could sleep. He didn't notice the resentment in their eyes.

SSS

Sam was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming, but it didn't make it any less scary. He had nightmares every time he fell asleep—nightmares about Hell, but this one was the worst. He had it at least three times a week. It had happened his second year in Hell.

Sam and Adam were lying on side by side tables. Usually Lucifer tortured Sam while Michael cut into Adam, but sometimes they mixed it up. This was one of those days. Michael was working on Sam, while he listened to Adam screaming. Lucifer was much better, if that was the right word, at torturing. Sam couldn't help but be relieved on the rare occasions when they switched patients. Sam had to wonder why Lucifer would choose that word to refer to them. It wasn't like he was trying to cure them of anything.

"You know Adam, I'm not really mad at you," Lucifer said in a conversational tone. "After all, you weren't the one who forced me back into this cage. What about you, bro?"

"No. Michael didn't fight me. He said yes almost immediately. He was the perfect vessel, really. Well, as perfect as he could be for a back up," Michael amended.

"Well, why are we torturing him? It seems kind of silly really. One of us tortures Sam, the one that we're really mad at, while the other one tortures this poor innocent boy."

Sam didn't like where this was headed at all. Looked like he was going to be getting a double dose from now on. But, he had to admit it was fair. Adam _was_ innocent. That would probably be the only thing he would ever agree with Lucifer about.

"So, what do you propose, little brother?" Michael asked, smirking. He knew exactly what he was going to ask. They had discussed it on their last coffee break. Of course, they didn't have coffee in Hell, that was just an expression.

"Why don't we let Adam join in the fun? Then the three of us could all throw all of our effort at punishing the truly guilty party."

"What?" Sam asked. Adam wouldn't torture him. Or would he? They hadn't really spoken all that much. They were tortured 23 hours and 45 minutes every day. That "what" was the first word Sam had uttered in about seven months.

"What do you say, Adam?" Michael asked. "Sounds like fun doesn't it?"

"OK," Adam had said. No hesitation. Nothing.

In a way, Sam couldn't blame him. Lucifer undid his restraints. Adam stood upright for the first time since Michael had exited his body moments after landing at the bottom of the pit. Of course, it had taken six days before they hit the bottom. The cage was really deep down.

"Why don't you take the first cut," Michael offered as he handed Adam a knife.

Adam grinned. "I'm going to enjoy this. You ruined my life. First, you kept Dad away from me. Then, you couldn't protect me from that ghoul. Then, you pulled me down into Hell."

Sam didn't bother defending himself. Didn't remind Adam that by the time Dad knew about him, he was out of the house and no encumbrance from Dad moving in with his mother and playing Dad. How was he supposed to protect him from a ghoul when he didn't even know he existed? Couldn't deny the fact that he pulled him into Hell anyway.

Adam went at it with a gusto that even Lucifer lacked. Soon, Lucifer and Michael didn't even bother with the torture anymore. Just looked on with approval as they plotted to see if there was any way out.

SSS

"No, Adam, please!" Sam yelled as he came awake.

"You OK?" Dean asked.

From the back seat, Lisa and Ben wondered how Dean could be so calm. That was the most terrifying scream they had ever heard. They exchanged a look and silently agreed to pretend they weren't there.

"Fine," Sam said.

Dean figured it must have been awful for Sam. Not only did he have to be tortured in Hell, but he had to watch Adam get tortured, too. Knowing Sam that would have been the worst part. He would have to make sure he talked about it eventually, but not in front of Ben and Lisa.

They were at Bobby's now, anyway. They had to figure out how to keep Sam topside.

SSS

Bobby was inside trying to figure out how to break his demon deal. He couldn't believe he had fallen for that moron Crowley's promise. On the other hand, compared to Sam's sacrifice, it probably wasn't that big a deal. He got ten years before his deal came due and he only had to go to Hell proper, not Lucifer's cage.

He thought he was imagining things when he heard the familiar rumble of Dean's Impala. He had been a car man for far longer than he had been a hunter and each car had its own peculiar sound. He would know Dean's anywhere.

He got up and went to the door, arriving the same time Dean knocked. Dean was standing on the door step with a woman and a kid behind him. "What's wrong?" Bobby asked. He hadn't seen Dean since he had left the life. Because of that, he didn't want to see him now.

Dean knew what Bobby meant, but still said, "Good to see you, too, Bobby," in as sarcastic a tone as he could muster under the circumstances.

"You must be Lisa and Ben," Bobby said, to the two people behind Dean. "It's nice to finally meet you." Anybody special in Dean's book was special in his, too. Couldn't say that, though. It would ruin his curmudgeonly reputation.

"Why don't you guys go upstairs and get comfortable?" Dean suggested.

"TV's busted, but there's plenty of books," Bobby said. He almost choked up when he said that. He remembered one other time his TV was busted and John Winchester had shown up with his kids. Sam was thrilled with all the books, while Dean lamented the lack of any real entertainment.


	5. A Simple Plan

As Lisa and Ben made their way upstairs, Sam finally appeared at the door. He was nervous. The last time he had seen Bobby, he had broken his neck. There was no way Bobby could ever forgive him for that.

"Sam?" Bobby asked. He looked at Dean and then back at Sam again. "Is it really you?"

Sam just nodded his head and kept his eyes glued to the front step. He couldn't meet Bobby's eyes.

"What's wrong, boy?" Bobby asked, wondering why Sam wouldn't look at him.

"I'm sorry," Sam said so softly that Bobby had to strain to hear him.

"For what?" Bobby asked, wondering what the idjit had done now.

"For killing you. I'm glad Cas could bring you back."

"You didn't kill me. Lucifer did. You did real good taking over for him like that. How are you back?" Bobby asked, finally stepping back to allow the boys in.

"That's kind of why we're here, Bobby," Dean said.

He told Bobby about their encounter with Balthazzar earlier.

"Any ideas how to get out of this?" Dean asked.

Bobby had his own soul to figure out how to save, but he had almost nine years left. They only had a week on the clock on this one. Triage meant Sam and Ben got top priority.

"Well, seems to me, we gotta kill that angel," Bobby said. He had nothing else.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Dean asked. He had been out of the hunt way too long.

"How?" Sam asked.

"You know, those angel swords," Dean answered.

"Do you have one?" Sam asked.

"Of course not. Only angels have them. But I'm sure Cas would lend us one," Dean said.

Sam wasn't so sure. He had noticed that Cas had taken off as soon as he woke up. He might not want to help.

"Cas!"Dean yelled.

"Really, Dean. I'm very busy. I don't think you understand the stress I'm under," Cas said irritably as he appeared two inches from Dean's face.

Dean stepped back without saying anything. He wanted the sword more than he wanted to complain about lack of personal space.

"We need to borrow your sword," Dean said.

"Impossible. I'm in the middle of a civil war."

"But we have to kill an angel," Dean whined.

"What angel? Why?" Cas asked. If it was an angel on Raphael's team, he would help. Otherwise, he had to get on with the business of winning the war before it spread to earth.

"His name is Balthazzar," Dean said.

"Balthazzar? I thought he was dead."

"Please tell me you think he died today," Dean begged. That would solve a lot of problems.

"No, months ago. In the war. Why do you want to kill him?" Balthazzar had been a very good friend to Cas for millennia. He didn't want to kill him. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding of some sort.

"He let Sam out of the cage," Dean began.

"Why would you want to kill him for that?" Cas asked. "Do you not want Sam out?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Would you let me finish?" Dean didn't wait for an answer to his rhetorical question and plowed on. "He says he'll hurl Sam back in unless I get Ben to agree to sell his soul to him."

"Why?" Cas asked. He had never heard of angels purchasing souls before.

"I was kind of hoping you would know the answer to that."

"I have no idea," Cas said and paused as he heard the fighting continue above him. The humans couldn't hear it of course. "I also don't think I can help."

"Please, Cas," Sam begged. He knew this was the only way. He couldn't go back down there. He had been back up for a year. That meant he was pretty sure Michael and Lucifer had gone back to torturing Adam. Adam would be doubly pissed if Sam returned.

"Sam really took one for the team," Dean reminded him. "You have to help him.

Castiel realized that Dean had a point. If it hadn't been for Sam, the war in Heaven would be the least of his problems. "OK," he acquiesced. "When is he coming?"

"A week," Dean said.

"I'll be back in five days," Castiel promised and disappeared.

"What if Balthazzar comes early?" Sam fretted.

"He won't," but Dean was worried on that score as well.

SSS

"We're going to kill the angel," Dean said. He had gone upstairs to see Lisa and Ben while Sam and Bobby had remained downstairs.

"OK," Lisa said. What else do you say when someone says that to you? She had no choice but to trust Dean, but she didn't know if she did. This was her son's life and she knew that Dean felt just as strongly about Sam as she did about Ben.

SSS

"So, you remember Hell?" Bobby asked. He remembered how messed up Dean was when he got back. Of course, Sam had apparently been back for a year, so it might not be so bad.

"Yeah," Sam said.

"Wanna talk about it?" He knew it might be easier for Sam to talk to him than to Dean. On the other hand, he didn't really want to hear about it.

Sam shook his head. He didn't even want to think about it. Hard to talk about something without thinking about it too.


	6. Deals and Oaths

The next day, Dean went outside to find Sam. He was sitting at the picnic table outside of Bobby's garage.

"Still don't like being inside?" Dean asked.

"I don't think I ever will," Sam admitted.

"I heard you scream after your nightmare yesterday," Dean said.

"Dean, I don't want to talk about it," Sam said.

"When I came back, you made me talk about it. It was a few months later, but it happened. And you were right. It did help. Not a lot, but a little."

"You know how the torture works, Dean. They tore me apart every day, and every day I magically became whole again, and then it started all over. What more is there to say?"

"A lot. I know that being tortured wasn't the worst part for you." If there was one thing Dean understood, it was being a big brother. He couldn't imagine watching Sam get tortured every day. Even if he was getting tortured right alongside with him. It would just be too much. Sam may not have been raised as a big brother, but he knew the number one job. Protect your little brother.

Sam had no idea what Dean was talking about. "There was nothing but torture, Dean. Believe me, I didn't get the same offer you did." Adam did, though.

"No, what I mean is, it wasn't your torture that was the worst. You must have hated seeing Adam get tortured."

Sam snorted. "I did, actually. That was why at first I was glad when they said they were going to stop torturing him."

"They said that? That was pretty cruel to get his hopes up like that," Dean mused.

"No, Dean, you don't understand. They did stop torturing him."

"Then why did you say you were glad at first?" Dean was puzzled. Adam not getting tortured was a good thing.

"What happened when you stopped getting tortured, Dean?"

"They had him torture other people?" Dean thought it was just the four of them in the cage. Then, realization dawned on him. "They had him torture you?"

Sam nodded. "Adam was more cruel than Lucifer and Michael combined."

Dean didn't know what to say. He knew that he had gained quite a reputation as a torture master. He heard some souls tell him that he was the worst. But, he knew better than to try to defend Adam to Sam. "I'm sorry," was all he could think to say.

It sounded hollow to Sam. Dean still thought of Adam as his brother. Sam couldn't. Sam hated Adam. But what was the point of talking about it? It didn't matter. Dean would never see Adam again, and Sam sincerely hoped that he wouldn't either.

SSS

"I heard you called for help," Balthazzar appeared in front of Sam and Dean the next day as they were once again outside, while Lisa and Ben stayed inside. Bobby had gone to the Library to check some stuff out.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, as he shifted subtly in front of Sam. He didn't even realize he was doing it until it was done. He smiled to himself. Old habits die hard.

"I mean, I heard that Castiel was here a couple of days ago. I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist that we conclude our business now," the rogue angel said in a very prim and proper manner.

"Fine," Castiel said, as he too materialized out of nowhere.

"How did you know?" Dean asked.

"I've been keeping an eye on you," Castiel admitted. While he was fighting, all he could think about was what Dean had said about Sam taking one for the team. He shouldn't have to go back. He shouldn't have had to go in the first place.

"Castiel, we've always been friends. Do you really want to kill me?"

"No, but I will if you force me to."

"Are these people really that important to you?"

"Yes. If you make an angel oath to leave both Sam and the boy alone, I'll let you go," Castiel promised.

"Do you really think you trust that?" Dean asked, angrily. He couldn't be watching over his shoulder his whole life. More precisely Sam's and Ben's whole lives.

"An angel oath can not be broken," Castiel promised.

"Fine," Balthazzar said. He knew Castiel was stronger and faster than him. He always had been. He couldn't afford his old friend as an enemy. More than that, he didn't want him as his enemy.

Balthazzar and Castiel disappeared behind the garage.

"What do you think they're doing back there?"Sam asked.

"No idea," Dean said, still seething. As far as he was concerned Cas had sold them out. No way that angel was going to keep his promise.

Castiel came back alone. "How do we know it worked?" Dean demanded.

"I told you. An angel oath can not be broken. The oath stated that Balthazzar would not throw Sam Winchester back in the pit or hurt him in any way, nor would he ever accept the soul of Ben Braeden, even if it was offered to him without his asking. You can't get much more specific than that."

"Guess not," Dean agreed.

"I have to go now," Castiel said and disappeared once more.

SSS

Balthazzar had agreed not to throw Sam Winchester back into the pit or to harm him. That didn't mean he couldn't let his other brother out of the cage. That could be entertaining from what he had seen when he had gone down there the first time. He smiled in glee. Maybe he couldn't pitch Sam back into Hell, but he could bring his Hell to him.

SSS

"Lisa, I'm going to take you guys back home. Then, I'll come back here. Sam needs me."

"We need you, Dean," Lisa protested. She knew this was going to happen, but it didn't make it any easier.

"She's right. Go with her," Sam said. He had crept in the door and heard part of their conversation.

"But, Sam," Dean started.

"Dean, you said it yourself. I'm a grown man. It's time you started treating me like one. I don't need you around to protect me all the time."

"Are you sure?" Dean said.

"I'm sure."

Lisa smiled at him. Maybe he wasn't so bad at all. Sam offered a small smile back.

"You'll come for Christmas," she informed him.

"is that an order?" Sam asked.

"Say no or he won't come," Dean joked.

"It's a heartfelt request," Lisa said.

"OK, I'll be there," Sam said. He had no idea if he would or not. Now he knew how dad felt. Always promising things, not knowing if he'd be able to keep them.

"In the meantime, keep in touch. And that is an order," Dean said, as the small family headed out to the car, leaving Sam and Bobby alone.


	7. Brotherly Discord

Sam was sleeping outside again. Bobby had given up trying to get him to come inside. He woke up when he heard the gravel crunching under someone's feet.

"Adam."

"You know they went back to torturing me after you disappeared," Adam said bitterly.

"I figured they would," Sam answered tonelessly. He wondered if this was just a new take on his nightmare. He knew it wasn't though.

Adam pulled out a knife and lunged at Sam. Sam easily ducked it and pulled it out of Adam's hands. What Adam was failing to realize was that Sam wasn't strapped down here, kept helpless for Adam by Michael and Lucifer.

Bobby came running outside. He had heard the commotion. He pulled out his shotgun. "Get out of here, boy!" he yelled to Adam. He didn't want to kill one of John Winchester's sons, but Sam meant more to him than this one. He barely knew this one.

Adam ran out into the night.

"Why didn't you kill him?" Sam asked. He would have if Bobby hadn't intervened.

"Can't just go around killing people, Sam." Bobby was surprised. Sam was always the first person against killing people. He wondered how else Hell had changed him.

SSS

In the morning, Bobby called Dean. "Hey, something happened last night."

"What is it? Is Sam OK?"

"He's fine, but your other brother showed up and tried to kill him. I scared him off and Sam got mad at me for not plugging Adam."

"I'm coming," Dean said, knowing there would be no quick fix to this.

SSS

Dean arrived at Bobby's at night. He called to Sam as he walked in the yard, not wanting to spook him. A spooked hunter is a dangerous hunter.

"Dean, what are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"You really think you should be sleeping outside when someone wants to kill you?" Dean asked instead of answering the question.

"Bobby called you." It was a statement, not a question.

"You should have called me."

"I can take Adam. I'm bigger than him."

"Not really the point, Sam. We need to work this out. All three of us. We're brothers."

"He tortured me, Dean," Sam reminded him.

"Do you know how many people I tortured when I was in Hell?" Dean asked, trying to get Sam to understand. "If the tables were turned, don't you think you might have tortured him?"

"I don't know. But, I didn't. I can't be punished for something I might have done," Sam said, his old law school training coming back.

"I'm not talking about punishing you, Sam. I'm talking about forgiving Adam."

"I don't want his forgiveness." Adam had managed to sneak up behind them while they were arguing.

"Adam, I'm glad you're OK," Dean said.

"I've got no beef with you," Adam said. "This is between me and Sam. He's the one who pulled me into the pit with him."

"And you tortured him. You're even," Dean declared. He was the oldest. What he said went.

"Not hardly," Sam and Adam said at the same time.

"Sam, Adam did what he had to do," Dean said.

"You're on his side," Sam said, sounding like a hurt three year old.

"I'm not on anybody's side," Dean assured him.

"That's almost worse. You should be on my side," Sam begged. Dean had always been on his side. Even against their father, who Dean idolized.

Dean didn't have much time to consider that. Sam just turned and walked away. Adam considered going after him, but decided it would hurt Sam even more, if Dean were to choose him. He had just spent what felt like an eternity with Lucifer. If anyone could manipulate, it was him.

"You're right, Dean," Adam said, nearly choking on the words. "It wasn't really Sam's fault. But, I had to torture him, so they wouldn't torture me. I felt terrible doing it and then I hated him for it. Hell really messes you up."

Dean smiled. That was an understatement. "it sure does. Don't worry. Sam will come around."

Adam frowned. "I don't have anywhere to go."

"You can stay with me and Lisa for a while," Dean offered.

"She won't mind?"

Dean had no idea, but Adam was family. Family came first. "Nah."

SSS

A few months later

"Bobby," Sam said when Bobby answered his phone.

"Where you been, boy. I've been worried sick," Bobby scolded.

"Hunting," Sam answered without apology.

"Have you heard from Dean?" Sam asked. He had felt bad about the way he left, but he had too much pride to reach out to Dean himself. It was like Stanford all over again.

Bobby hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should tell Sam that Dean had taken Adam in or not. But then he decided lying and hiding things was the Winchester way. And he wasn't a Winchester.

"Yeah, once in a while. He took Adam back to Lisa's."

"Oh," Sam said. He considered that the ultimate betrayal. He chatted with Bobby a little longer and then hung up.

He fumed about the whole Adam/Dean situation for days. If the roles had been reversed, he wouldn't be so quick to forgive Dean's torturer. He knew it probably all came down to the fact that Dean harbored resentment about him "ditching them for Stanford." How many times had he brought that up over the years?

He decided for once, he wasn't going to do things the Winchester way. He was going to go to Indiana and confront Dean. He didn't care if it was a girl thing to do. Dean owed him an explanation. He had gone to Hell to save the world.

SSS

Sam pulled up outside of Dean and Lisa's house. He was happy that Dean had this life. He wished he could have it with Jessica, but he didn't begrudge his brother. The only thing he was mad about was Adam.

Sam got out of the car and rang the doorbell. Adam answered. "Is Dean here?" Sam asked as hostilely as he could.

"He is, but he doesn't want to see you," Adam said.

Sam rolled his eyes. He would only believe that from Dean himself. Just because Dean betrayed him didn't mean he didn't still love him. Or did it?

"Who is it?" Dean asked as he walked up to the door.

"Sammy!"Dean said and smiled his goofy smile.

"Hey, Dean. Can I talk to you?" Sam asked.

"No, you can't have him back," Adam said and pulled a knife from his back pocket. Ever since Hell, he felt better if he had a way to defend himself.

He lunged towards Sam and before Sam had time to react, Dean stabbed Adam with a knife of his own.

"Thanks," Sam said. He didn't know what else to say. "How did you know?" Dean had reacted way too fast to have been caught off guard by that.

"When I heard your voice, I was afraid he might be planning to hurt you or kill you. Every time I bring up your name, the hatred in his eyes is immense," Dean said, remembering the last few times he had tried to draw Adam out about Sam. He had wanted to reconcile his two brothers so badly. "I couldn't let him hurt you. You're my brother."

"But, I thought he was your brother, too?" Sam was confused. He had thought Dean had chosen Adam over him.

"Not like you are." Dean cleared his throat. This was getting to be a little too chick flicky. "Come on. We have to take care of this mess before Ben and Lisa get back.

They salted and burned the body and cleaned up the blood. It was kind of like the old days, except for the fact that Dean really felt bad about what he had just done. He would do anything to save Sam. Nothing would ever change that. But, Adam was his brother, too, and he had killed him. He remembered what John had whispered to him before dying. "One day you may have to kill your brother." He had meant, Sam, of course, but Dean had finally done it.

The End


End file.
